In A Previous Life
by artykidd
Summary: A story that takes place before the M series. There's a bit of espionage, action, and a bit of death as well. Jake and M raphael run off to save the world from a deadly virus.
1. Chapter 1

**If you haven't read the M series, here's a bit of background info for you. When Raphael was five, he snuck out on his own and got lost. He was found over a month later by Jake, tied up the back room of a drug house. He had suffered some trauma and couldn't remember anything and there was some major damage to his shell. As a result, some drastic surgery was done and now the shell pieces are fused directly to his back, making it flat like a human. He has to under go steroid treatments to encourage the growth of the shell pieces. As a result, he's now six foot tall, muscular, and the steroids tend to make his short temper even shorter. Anyway, all this takes place before my story M, where Raph's family found him and he was reunited with them.**

* * *

Jake was working hard at trying to defeat his opponent. The sandy haired agent had fought with this particular rival on many occasions, but in recent years, it had become harder than ever to beat him. The CIA agent was working up a sweat that was certain. Every time he tried a strike, it was blocked with swiftness and efficiency. M had certainly improved over time. 

"Jacob!" a harsh voice came over the loudspeaker in the training room.

Immediately both Jake and his young companion stopped. Weapons lowered, they look expectantly at the booth above them. Mirrored one way windows leaned out on the second level, hiding the occupants from those that were on the first level. Immediately, M bared his teeth and growled at the silhouette that he knew wasn't Caitlin. A glare from Jake made the mutant silence his vocalization.

"Yes sir?" Jake quickly answered the page.

"I need to see you in my office immediately," the voice answered back. "We have a situation." After speaking, the shadow turned to leave.

"Caitlin?" Jake called out to the box above him.

"Yes Jake," Caitlin answered.

Jake grinned at M and ran his fingers through his hair before looking back up to the control room above him. "Run the kid through a simulation," and he glanced back at the green skinned mutant, the grin now becoming mischievous. "Make it a……"

"Street fight," M leaned over and whispered. "Haven't been through one of those in awhile."

Jake nodded. "Make it a street fight," he finished his previous sentence. "Give the kid about ten guys, one hostage. Nighttime," he paused to think of anything else he could add. "Location Central park, disadvantages," he turned back to M and held out his hand. "No weapons."

Glaring, M turned over any and all items he had on his person. "Thanks a lot," he muttered.

"Hey," Jake walked backwards to the door, still talking to the large mutant turtle. "I can't let you go and get soft now can I? Have fun." The human turned and exited the room, leaving his young charge to fend for himself against some very real feeling holograms.

"Stupid alien technology," M muttered as a scene of central park emerged around him. "Stupid government agency stealing the stupid alien technology."

Caitlin laughed as she heard his complaints come over the speaker. She was sitting in the booth above the first floor, monitoring the young agent below. She turned as Jake poked his head in the door.

"I'll come straight back as soon as I'm done," he flashed a quick grin. "If he finishes before I get back….."

"He'll be studying," Caitlin interrupted, pointing her finger at him. "He's got a chemistry test tomorrow." She turned around and continued looking down at the floor below. Absentmindedly, she pulled her jet black hair back and put it into a ponytail, out of the way. "Jake," she said to the figure still standing behind her, a pencil wiggled it's way in and out of her fingertips as she got more comfortable in the chair. "You'd better go," she warned. "Overseer did say immediately."

Embarrassed that he was caught staring; Jake quickly turned and made his way down the hall to the office of the man called Overseer. Caitlin was correct. He was sitting in his large leather chair waiting, impatiently.

Arms folded, Overseer glared at Jake as he walked into the room. "I believe I said immediately," the older man arched his eyebrows and sat up.

Jake stared at his boss, or superior, or supervisor, or person in charge, however you wanted to put it.

Andrew Wallace, or Overseer, was not a pleasant man. He was in his early fifties. His age showed in his face. Fine lines augmented his frowning lips. They never seemed to change position except for when he spoke. His eyes in small slits, they shone icily and added to his imposing air. Even when Jake knew he wasn't to be the subject of conversation, he still felt nervous coming into this man's office. M often called it being sent to the principal's office. Never the less, there he was, being stared down by Overseer, a man who held Jake's life and those of his friends in his hand.

Overseer glanced down at his watch and then back at Jake, letting out a huff of impatience in the process. "We've been contacted by the main office," he began. Overseer pulled out a large manila envelope and slid it over to Jake. "Keisling has resurfaced."

Jake looked up, surprised. "We haven't heard from him in several years, what does he want?" Jake asked as he sifted through the pictures and transcripts of phone calls.

"He has apparently come up with a new bit of germ warfare and a vaccine for it," Overseer leaned forward on his desk. His tone changed from one of superiority to one of seriousness. He rubbed at his chin as he pulled out a photograph of a young girl. "He was offering it to the highest bidder," the older gentlemen continued his conversation.

"And that would be us," Jake sighed. He knew Keisling and how greedy the man could be. "What is he asking for?"

"Keisling wants safe transport for himself and his daughter Mai," Overseer slid her photo forward. "He's managed to avoid capture by changing his appearance," he tapped on a photo of a heavy set man with short curly black hair and a mustache.

Jake's eyes went wide. It was a difference from what he had seen five years ago. The last time he and M had contact with Keisling, the man was quite thin, had stringy blonde hair and couldn't get a five o'clock shadow even if he waited a week before shaving. "Plastic surgery?" he held up the black and white picture.

"Augmenting his nose and chin yes," Overseer nodded. "We've been in contact with him over the past week, making arrangements for his return to the states." He leaned back in his chair. "But he disappeared two days ago and no one has heard from him."

"Where was he seen last?" Jake continued sifting through photos, not looking up. The gears in his mind had already started turning, sorting through possible scenarios.

Overseer sat up and pointed to a particular photo. Keisling and his daughter were walking through a busy city street, worried looks on both their faces. "Paris," Overseer stated flatly. "If his experiment has fallen into the wrong hands….." The old man didn't finish his sentence. He didn't need to.

Jake looked at the seriousness on the man's face and nodded in agreement. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning, before light," Overseer answered. "Alexander will meet you and the mutant in Paris, I've already informed him you were on your way." The old man leaned back in his chair and folded his hands. "I told him you would be calling with a supply list."

Again Jake nodded and started collecting photographs and the file on Keisling.

Overseer continued his instructions. "He has been doing surveillance on Mai, we know where she is. When you get there Alexander will have transportation waiting and hopefully will have information as to where Keisling has gone."

"Yes sir," Jake answered, standing up with the manila envelope tucked securely under his arm. "I'll tell the kid and we'll start packing." Quickly he left the room, on his way to talk to his young friend.

M was sitting at a table in his room studying. Already showered and changed, he was wearing a pair of black sweat pants and a white t-shirt. He didn't even look up when he heard the door open. "Hey," he said softly, stretching and taking his eyes off his books. He let out a small grunt as he extended his hands above his head and straightened his legs out. His toes pushed back the chair on the other side of the table. Finally finished, he withdrew his limbs from the air and looked over at the door. "What's up?" he questioned.

Jake walked over to the table and plopped down on the empty chair. He answered M's question in one word. "Keisling," he said flatly and tossed the envelope across the table.

His interest perked, M's eyes opened a little wider and he sat up. "Seriously?" he spoke out. "He's been off the radar for what? Five years?" He started sifting through the photos and stopped on the picture of the portly man with a thin teenaged blonde. The girl he recognized as Mai, but the man he questioned. M held the picture up to Jakes line of sight, "Keisling?" His brow furrowed in line with his question.

"Yep," Jake answered. "Time to get to work." He reached across the table and took the envelope. He pulled out the transcripts and started reading.

Nodding in understanding, M stood up and cleared off his small table, stacking his books and notes off to the side on the counter top. Out of habit the young mutant immediately pulled out two mugs and began fixing a pot of coffee. That task finished, he went across the room to his bed where his backpack was laying. He pulled out his laptop and walked back over. "Where are we headed?" he asked as he sat back down.

"Paris," Jake looked up. "According to Overseer, Keisling has developed some new bit of germ warfare and a vaccine for it. Now, he's selling his little experiment to the country willing to pay the highest." He pulled out a computer disc and passed it over to M. "The highest bidder being us," Jake continued.

A low rumble and hiss of steam from the coffee pot interrupted the two. M started to get up but Jake stopped him. "I'll get it," he said. "Just put that disc in and see what you can find out. A portion of his notes and a couple of surveillance photos are on there."

M nodded and went back to the screen on his computer, his eyes searching the words and formulas for clues about the supposed virus. A brief overview from Keisling explained the illness but not in any detail. "It seems like a simple virus," M muttered mainly to himself. He scratched at his chin and leaned in closer to the screen. "Some of his notes aren't' making sense though," he tapped at the screen.

Jake sat the coffee cup down and leaned over M's shoulder looking at where the thick green finger was pointing. "Well," Jake started to explain. "I'm sure we're not looking at the virus in its entirety. He probably only sent over a small overview. If he gave out the whole makeup of this disease along with the cure, he wouldn't have much leverage would he?"

"Yeah, I guess," M admitted. He went back to the photos and looked around at the various scenes. "Haven't been to Paris in awhile," He grinned. "This could be fun."

"Easy kid," Jake cautioned. "This isn't pleasure, strictly business." Jake went back to his seat. "We have to find Keisling first. He disappeared two days ago. The only one any body has seen has been Mai." He sipped at his coffee and went back to the phone transcripts. "Alexander's been maintaining a watch on her. He's going to pick us up when we fly in tomorrow morning."

M scrolled through a few a more files on the cd, eyeing them curiously. "What time do we leave?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the screen as he picked up his cup and took a sip.

"4 AM," Jake responded. "We'll need to pack soon so we can catch a few hours sleep before we head out." Jake flipped to another page. So far, nothing on the phone conversations was telling him anything. The statements were all very vague. "I'll have to call Alex soon and make sure he's got everything we need over there. You want a bike or are you gonna ride with us?"

"Bike," M said flatly. Something catching his eye, M leaned in even further. Curious as to what exactly he was looking at, he slid his fingers across the track pad on the laptop and highlighted an area of the photo. Two quick taps of his fingers on the little pad blew the selected area of the photo up, revealing two figures off in the distance. Going on a hunch, he minimized the photo and pulled up another one, repeating the same action. "Jake?" he finally spoke up.

"Yeah?" Jake looked up from his reading.

"How recent are these photos on the disc?" M turned the laptop around enough for both him and Jake to see.

"Those are the last one's taken before Keisling disappeared," Jake explained. Quickly he moved his chair over to get a better view. "What am I looking at?"

"These two," M moved his finger around so that the arrow on the screen circled around two faces. They were blurry at best and the faces were covered with sunglasses. "Now," M minimized the photo and went back to the first one. "Look here," he pointed to what seemed to be the same two men. "Who are they?"

"Don't know," Jake answered. "I've not seen them before." He scratched at his chin and thought for a moment. "Run the photos through the agency database. See if it can make a match."

"As blurry as they are, that could take awhile." M looked up at Jake as he stood up from his chair, coffee cup in hand.

Jake nodded. "Let it run, we can pack while the computer is searching."

M agreed and stood up from the table, stretching once more and letting out a groan as he did. "So much for the chemistry test tomorrow."

"Not quite," he heard Caitlin's voice as she walked in the room. "You can take it while you're on the plane and then email it back to me."

M and Jake looked over to see Caitlin carrying a large bag. "Dinner," she announced. "I can't have the two of you running of tomorrow to save the world without a little food in your stomachs."

"When did the agency start offering June Cleaver courses?" M asked in jest. He took the photos off the table and stacked them on an empty chair along with the transcripts and envelope.

Caitlin stuck her tongue out as she set dinner on the table. "Hey," she shrugged her shoulders. "You looked like you had worked up a good appetite in the training room. I didn't think a simple snack was going to take care of it."

Jake was already packing what looked like a small briefcase but that was from the outside. The inside was cushioned and had several spaces inside it for a few handguns and clips. At the mention of the simulation he had his young charge go through, he looked up at Caitlin. "How did he do?"

Caught off guard by the question, Caitlin look over at M and watched as an evil grin came across his face. "Oh……Uh ….Fine." She answered. "He did fine." Quickly she went back to pulling out the food and tried to change the subject. "Weather report says the high in Paris for the next week is only in the low thirties so make sure you two pack warm."

"Caitlin," Jake's voice had a suspicious tone. He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. "When I asked how he did, I would expect to hear more than just 'Fine."

"Well…….." Caitlin tried to stall and gave an innocent look. She was struggling to find the right words.

M beat her to it. He stopped his packing and looked directly at Jake, arms folded and a triumphant grin on his face. "I beat your time by ten seconds, no harm done to the hostage." M just stood there, enjoying the astonished look on Jake's face.

The whole situation had become a bit of a competition for the two. Months ago, Jake had beaten M's best time by five seconds. M was determined to get his 'title' back. He did too, for a brief amount of time. He had gone and beaten jakes best time by seven seconds then Jake beat his again by another eight. Now, M had earned gloating rights, again.

Finally regaining his composure, Jake just shook his head and laughed. "I'm getting to old for this." Grinning he closed up his gun case and walked over to the table.

"If that's the case," M walked over to eat as well. "You could just stay here and I'll go on my own."

"Oh No," both Jake and Caitlin answered emphatically.

"What?!" M gave an innocent look.

"You," Caitlin pointed a finger. "Do not need to be left alone, unsupervised to run around France. There's no telling what kind of trouble you'll get into."

"Yes mother," M muttered sarcastically as he stuck a fork into his plate of food. He chewed a little on his lasagna as he thought. "What's the plan when we get there?"

"Well," Jake took a sip of his soda. "We find Mai and get her to a safe place, then locate Keisling. After that, we get them back to the states." He took another bite. "If we have any trouble, you can take Mai on your bike and I'll take Keisling in the car. We'll split up and meet up in a few days at the air field."

"You gonna get a dummy car?" M asked with a fork full of food in his mouth.

"Yeah," Jake agreed. "I should have one waiting just in case."

Caitlin had been sitting quietly, watching the conversation take place. These types of things always made her nervous. She was always afraid that one or even the both of them would not return to her. It was the one part of her job she hated. When she and Jake were given the job of the mutant's upbringing, she was told what he was being trained for. It was recommended that she not get attached to the creature, but she couldn't help it. All it took was the first look he gave her with his big brown eyes and she was hooked. Mutant or not, he was the cutest little boy she had ever seen. And then there was Jake. She had grown quite fond of him as well. He was a good guy, down to earth, level headed, and had a good sense of humor. He didn't let his job harden him like so many other agents had. Jake was definitely someone she could fall for. She already had. She just wasn't ready to admit it to herself yet.

Noticing her silence, Jake gave Caitlin a small nudge with foot. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "I just get nervous every time you guys go out." She pulled at a piece of her bread and popped it in her mouth. "Be careful okay?"

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So what do ya'll think? I have a few other plot bunnies of stuff Raph/M and Jake did to "save the world." If anyone thinks this is any good, I'll post the other stories after this one. Also, I'm not to fond of the title, so if anyone has a better idea, I'm open to suggestions.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry this update has taken so long. I hit some writer's block with this and when that happens, I tend put the block story aside and work on other stories. In this chapter, there is a reference to a chemistry test M has to take. I don't really know much on chemistry so I simply got the test question from a beginning chemistry college website. If anyone knows anything about chemistry and the question is a little too advanced or can't be answered without lab work instead of on the computer, I'm sorry. Please forgive my inaccuracies. Now, on with the next installment. Thanks to everyone who reads, please be sure to review it and let me know what you think.**

After packing and a few hours sleep, M found himself sitting on board of one of the private jets employed by the CIA. For a Boeing, it was small. Its seating space was anywhere from 21-140 people, 21 being the most comfortable number. But, he found this to be one of the perks of life with the agency. If anything, he received luxuries here he didn't get at the station. He grinned staring at the little cup in his hand; the cappuccino machine in the back corner was always a nice touch.

Currently, he was sitting at the front of the plane in the private dining area. The walls were a crisp white. The floor was covered in an area rug that was decorated with a tan geometric pattern. The table he sat at was a dark oak and sat six people comfortably. He was sitting at the head of the table so he could look out the window. Presently, he had the entire table occupied. His computer, papers and a map were scattered about the wooden surface.

M was just finishing up with his chemistry test. He stopped for a brief moment and allowed himself a break. Grinning, he slid his now bare feet over the carpet, the hem of his jeans rubbing along the floor. He pushed up the sleeves on his white knit sweater and leaned forward to stare out the window. Clouds stretched out toward the horizon, meeting with the blue Atlantic below. His little break was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Enter," he said without even looking up.

"You almost finished?" Jake indicated towards the computer as he walked into the room.

"Yeah," M sighed. "I just finished this last problem. Now I just need to send it back to Caitlin."

Jake sat down and crossed his arms. In his blue sweatshirt and old denim jeans, he looked nothing like the part often portrayed in the movies. "Easy or hard?" he asked as he sipped on a cup of coffee.

"Well," M began. "Based on the formula she gave me, the NO bond length in O2NCl, the nitrogen is the central atom, is 1.20 Å. The NCl bond length is 1.84 Å. The NO double bond reference length is 1.21 Å, and the N-Cl single bond reference length is 1.75 Å."

Jake felt his brain go numb as M continued talking.

"So with the information above, I have to write appropriate electron-dot formulas for this molecule, then predict the geometry of this molecule, predict the hybridization at nitrogen, and explain the NO bond length." M looked up at Jake and laughed at the confused look on his friends face. "You got all that didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah," Jake answered. "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight." Jake shook his head for a minute to try and straighten out the strange facts M had just pushed into his brain.

"Done," M blurted out. He clicked on a button, sending his test back to Caitlin and shutting the program down. "What now?"

Jake slid the map over as M put his laptop back in his backpack. "We'll be in Paris around 8 PM. Alex is going to pick us up here." Jake circled a spot on a detailed map of the city and the surrounding countryside. "He's kept a watch on Mai, so I'll get her tonight and bring her back to our hotel. Now here," and he pointed to another area on the map. "Is where Keisling was last seen. We'll start our search there."

"Do we know he was kidnapped?" M asked.

"Not for certain no," Jake shook his head. "Why? What are you thinking?"

M scratched at his chin and thought for a moment. "Judging by the look on Keisling's face in those last photos, I'd have to say he knew he was being followed. If he knows we're coming, he could just be hiding until we get in contact with Mai."

"Good point," Jake agreed. "We'll see what happens when I pick up Mai. Your bike, my car, and the dummy car are all at the hotel. It's going to be dark when we land so you shouldn't have any trouble sneaking in. We'll leave a window open for you." Jake promptly put the map off to the side and pulled out another of France and its neighboring countries. "Now, as far as the rest goes, I think it would be best if we split up. You can take Mai on your bike and cut across country and head north." He looked up at the young mutant. "You remember where the safe house is?"

M nodded yes.

"Good," Jake went back to the map. "Take her there and lay low for twenty four hours. I'll take Keisling and head south. We can meet up in Luxemburg after that. I don't want this taking anymore than 36 hours. I want to go in, get them out, and be back in the air in a day and a half. It's only 236 miles from Paris to Luxemburg so don't get in a hurry and draw attention to yourself."

"Gotcha. I'll start on Keisling and Mai's passports when we get to the Hotel." M tapped on the table as he thought. "Alex got all the supplies we asked for?"

"Yeah. Was there something specific you needed?"

M grinned wide. "I always thought Mai would make a good brunette."

Jake shook his head and laughed. Looking at his watch he sighed. "We've still got three hours before we land," he hated long waits. "You can catch up on some sleep if you want."

"No," M shook his head and pulled out the notes on the virus Keisling had concocted. He had printed them out earlier so he could look at it in its entirety. "I still don't think this is making sense, even if it is only part of the make up of the disease."

"How?" Jake leaned forward, his curiosity now peaked. The last thing he wanted to know was that the _good doctor_ had created a medical monster.

"Well," M pointed to a visual diagram of what had now been termed the Keisling virus and then pulled out a picture of a diagram of the flu. "See, this virus parallels the flu in make up. It causes all the same symptoms but it's more aggressive."

"How aggressive?" Jake asked. His tone deepened with seriousness.

"If the flu was Pee Wee Herman, Keisling's is more like Schwarzenegger." M sighed. He only understood a portion of this. Caitlin was the expert on medical knowledge, not him. "The jump it makes from showing the flu symptoms to the more forceful stage is almost instant. It just starts tearing down the body's cellular structure. It shouldn't do that, at least not according to Keisling's notes. If I'm reading them right anyway." M palmed his face and tried to ease the tension he was feeling.

"Listen," Jake put a hand on his friends shoulder. "We know we're not looking at the whole thing so let's not jump to conclusions. Once we get Keisling we'll have access to all his notes and then we can look at the complete make up of whatever he came up with. If you're still not sure about what you're looking at, send it to Caitlin." Jake looked over at the young mutant. "Get some rest. We've got a lot to do when we land."

M nodded, put away the printouts and stretched out in the chair, trying to get comfortable. Within a few minutes time, he was fast asleep.

The sun had already set when the plane had landed. No one paid attention to the small Boeing. The private strip allowed for utmost secrecy. When they got there, M and Jake looked out the window to see Alex already waiting.

Alex, like Jake was in his early thirties. He had jet black hair and a few freckles on his face that made him look younger than he actually was. That was an advantage for him when it came to certain areas of subterfuge. Jake and M had worked with him on several occasions. So much so that they insisted on working with him whenever they were sent oversees to the European area. Now, Alex was waiting on them, a black range rover parked at the end of the landing strip.

"Yo Alex!" M called as he hopped down the steps of the plane, several duffle bags in his arms. Enthusiastically he tossed one of them to the other agent.

"Hey M," Alex answered back and tossed the bag into the back of the vehicle. "How's life in the states?" He walked back over and took another bag, this time from Jake.

"Booooooooooring," was M's reply. "The only time they let me out is when we have work to do. Any other time," he climbed into the back seat of the vehicle. "Its study and train, study and train."

"Hey!" Jake protested and looked back. "I took you out for sushi just last week."

"He still eats raw fish?" Alex chuckled and started up the vehicle. "There is something seriously wrong with you," he looked at the green face in the rear view mirror. "You do know that don't you?"

"Whatever," M brushed off the comment. "You get everything we needed?"

"Yeah," Alex confirmed. Carefully he kept his eyes on the road as he drove away from the air strip and towards the city. "Mai has been staying in a small hotel just a few blocks from where we're at." He made a right turn and looked briefly at Jake. "I left a note for her at the front desk that an old friend was in town and to be at the café next door tonight." Slowly the agent drove down a small city street, carefully steering the vehicle down the narrow roads. "You should be able to meet up with her there and then bring her back to our hotel."

Jake nodded and stared out the window. He wanted to be sure they weren't being followed.

"As for you," Alex continued and looked at M's face in the rear view mirror. "I got all the stuff you wanted and picked up a bike for you. It's not the fastest but I figured since you might be going through the mountains, you would really need one made for cross country."

"When you say 'not the fastest" M looked concerned. "How slow are we talking?"

"Don't worry," the human chuckled. "You can still do 75 with it." He continued driving, moving further into the center of the city. "I got everything else you asked for so you should be able to set up shop while Jake is out getting Mai."

M nodded and stared out the window. The remainder of the drive was spent in silence; all three figures making mental notes of where they were, who was around them, and possible escape routes should something go wrong.

After a twenty minute drive, the black range rover pulled into the underground garage of the small hotel. Grabbing as much of their gear as possible, Jake and Alex walked around to the front of the hotel and checked in. Quietly, M made his way out to the side and kept to the shadows of a small space between his hotel and a neighboring building. Waiting patiently, he looked up and scanned the area. A small creak and light flicking on caused him to look up expectantly.

Without a word, Jake let a rope fall out the three story window. Quickly, the teenaged mutant grabbed his gear, stepped out of the shadows and scaled the wall of the small building. Reaching the top, a firm hand latched onto his and helped to pull him in the rest of the way. Stepping inside, M took a second or two to make notes about his surroundings.

Just inside the door was a small end table decorated simply with a table lamp and a phone. The area in front of the door was open with an area rug covering the hard wood floors. On the opposite wall, next to the window was a fireplace, a small brown leather couch facing it. On the wall to the left of the fire place were two doors, each leading to bedrooms with a private bathroom. On the other side of the room was a round dining table that sat four.

"Not bad," M muttered, nodding his head. Casually he threw his duffel bag onto the leather couch. "Remind me to thank our travel agent later."

"What were you expecting?" Alex looked up from emptying a black bag. "The Ritz?"

M's eyes perked up a bit and he got a sneaky grin. "That would be nice," he smiled and turned to the table to unpack his backpack. "Make the arrangements would you?" he glanced over his shoulder to his two companions. "Oh and reservations for dinner as well."

A small pillow hitting the side of his head was his only response.

"Alright guys," Jake looked up from his stuff. "Behave will ya kid?" Jake pulled out a black leather jacket and a black ball cap. Putting on the articles of clothing he walked over to couch and dug through one of the duffel bags and pulled out a black attaché case. Withdrawing numerous items he walked over to M. "Here," he held his hand out to the mutant at the table.

M was busy setting up a digital camera and small printer, hooking the two items up to his computer. Looking over he saw Jake handing him a small pistol.

"I packed your Berretta," he looked at the smiling mutant. "Two extra clips as well."

"Thank you sir," M said emphatically. He reached over into his bag and pulled out a holster. Threading his belt through the holster, he slid the gun into it and positioned it on his back. The clips he placed into a pocket on the outside of his jacket. "You headed out?" he asked as continued with his previous job.

"Yeah," Jake admitted. "I'll be back within the hour." Jake looked M in the eye. "Alex will stay here with you while I'm gone."

"I don't need a babysitter," M growled, not even looking up from his work.

"I know that," Jake answered in an exasperated tone. "But do you plan on answering the door if someone knocks?" He stared at M, waiting on the young mutant to talk back. "As far as the front desk is concerned, this room is occupied. I don't want to give them any reason to think differently." Again, he waited. This time M just nodded in agreement. "Good," he slapped his friend on the back. "I'll be back soon."

Alex waited until Jake left and walked over to M. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he muttered softly. "Just edgy," he looked up. "Sorry."

"No problem kid," Alex sat down next to him. "Here," he passed over a bottle and looked at the screen. "You about got the work visas finished?"

"Just about thanks," M grabbed the bottle and took a drink. "Just need to add the photos and we're done."

Casually, Jake made his way down the stairs to the front door of the hotel. Zipping up his jacket and adjusting his ball cap, he made his way out into the cold night air. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and took a left and began walking down the cobblestone streets of the city.

It only took a few minutes for Jake to make the short walk to Mai's hotel. As expected, the young blonde was sitting at a small café table, her long brown coat wrapped tightly around her. Quietly she sipped at a coffee and glanced around her area. She jumped a moment when she felt Jake's hand on her shoulder.

"It's Jake," he whispered in her ear as he stood behind her. "Just smile."

Mai did as she was told and Jake walked around to the opposite side of her table and sat down.

"You okay?" Jake asked, his facial features still maintaining a grin.

Mai nodded yes and sipped at her coffee.

"Good," he nodded and leaned forward to whisper to her. "Finish your coffee but don't rush." He glanced to the side quickly and then looked back at Mai. "We're being watched but don't worry about it." He reached out and gave her free hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Should we go?" Mai asked, her voice nervous.

"No," Jake replied. "Like I said, take your time so it doesn't look like we know we're being watched. When you're done, I'll take you back to the hotel and then we'll find your father."

"He's hiding," Mai whispered as she took a final sip of her coffee. "I can tell you where he is."

Jake nodded and stood up, extending his hand to Mai. "C'mon," he told her. "Let's get you out of the air and then I'll go get your dad. You can tell us where he is when we get back to the hotel."


	3. Chapter 3

In a Previous Life, chapter 3

Quietly, Jake and Mai walked the cobblestone streets back to the agent's hotel. With his arms around her and the young girl leaning into them, it looked like they were more concerned with each other and not like they were aware they were still being watched. With a smile and a nod of hello to the desk clerk, Jake took the young girl up the stair well to his room. The man at the front desk simply smiled, thinking that Jake merely found himself a companion for the evening and nothing more.

Once inside, Mai breathed a sigh of relief and quickly removed her coat and went to stand by the fire place and held her hands out, soaking up the warmth of the blaze. She paid no mind to Jake, Alex, or M as they whispered quietly amongst themselves.

"What now?" the mutant asked, arms folded and his eyes quickly darting over to watch the girl and she fiddled with her blonde hair. "She say anything about her dad?"

"Yeah, she did," Jake affirmed. "He's hiding in another area of town, about a ten minute drive south of here, but still in the city."

"Who's going to go after him and who's staying here?" came a question from Alex. He eyed his two companions. It was their job, not his and he didn't want to step on any toes or assume control.

"M and I will go," the other agent answered. "No offense Alex," he paused. "But…"

"You and the kid work together all the time Jake. None taken."

"Great," Jake turned his attention to the green mutant. M had been eyeing him, waiting on his instructions. "Get suited up," he nodded. "The buildings in this city are so close together you should be able to trail me from the rooftops and stay out of sight."

Agreeing, M simply walked over to his bag still on the couch and unzipped it. He spared Mai a brief glance and a quiet 'hey' as he did so.

"Hey yourself," she responded, tucking a strand of hair behind her left ear. "Long time no see."

"We're going to go get your dad," M told her brusquely, much harsher than he had intended. "Alex will stay with you until we get back."

A quiet 'oh' was her only reply as the green teenager quickly ducked into another room and soon emerged. He was clad only in black, his face covered by a mask of the same color.

Making his way to the widow he picked up a box off the table as he walked by and tossed it to the one who was remaining behind. "Here," he said as Alex caught the small item. "Take care of this while I'm gone. Oh, and make sure you take off about ten inches too." Without waiting on a response, he disappeared out the open window and into the night, leaving a very hesitant Mai staring at Alex, a box of hair dye in hand.

Waiting from his perch above, M spotted Jake as he pulled out of the underground garage. Quickly, the large green mutant trailed a faded blue four door sedan, the dummy car Jake had asked for.

Jake kept his eyes on the road but would occasionally glance over to a small screen on the seat beside him. With the tracking chip embedded in M's hand, it was easy to make sure the young mutant was still keeping pace with the car.

Carefully turning down some of the smaller back roads, Jake finally pulled to a stop, parking the car in a darker area, but still visible to others around. He had planned it that way, he wanted the car to be seen, especially by those who were possibly tailing him in hopes of finding Dr. Keisling. "You good?" he heard a gruff voice whisper into his ear piece.

"Yeah," Jake responded. "Keep an eye on the car and the building, the brownstone about ten yards down. That's where Mai said her dad was hiding."

"Gotcha'" M affirmed as he crouched down on the corner of a nearby building. Out of habit, instinct or both, his eyes began to quickly scan the surrounding area, making sure both he and his companion were safe. Quietly, he pulled his pistol out of its resting place and removed a small cylinder from his belt. Screwing in the small piece of metal now rendered the firearm silent. He waited and watched; making sure his partner was safe.

Jake casually walked over to the building Mai had told him about. He strolled across the street as if nothing were wrong, fully aware that M had his back should anything happen. Again, his young friend's voice sounded quietly in his ear.

"They're watching you," M whispered. "From the white beamer about twenty yards north of you, west side of the street. Want me to take 'em out?"

Looking both ways, as if checking for traffic, Jake quickly ran to the other side of the street. He cupped his hands and brought them to his mouth, as if to warm his cold fingers. "Leave 'em be," he whispered back. "They don't know where here for the professor. Wait. Let them follow us, I want to see what they'll do. Only stop them if you need to."

A muffled grunt with a quiet 'fine' was the only reply. Jake shook his head and let out a smirk.

Moving forward, M followed Jake as closely as possible until the agent disappeared behind a closed door.

Inside the small motel to the left was a small desk with a registry book. Jake took a quick glance at the signatures on the page but none with the professor's name. He shook his head and let out of huff. He was hoping that at least one time, the job would be easy but not tonight.

/ Can I help you/,"a small elderly woman asked from behind the counter. Shuffling over, she smiled at Jake and he smiled back. /Would you like a room?/ and she slid the register over to him.

/No, thank you,/ he replied. /The taxi service sent me to pick up a passenger, slightly overweight, curly hair, mustache and glasses,/ He smiled once more at the elderly woman. /Forgive me please, I forgot my schedule with the gentleman's name on it. I would have gone back for it but I did not want to be late and keep him waiting./

/That sounds like one of our tenants,/ she eyed him with caution. /Your name please and your company?/

/Jacob Sprague, I am here to take him to the station./

The elderly woman got on the phone and dialed a room number speaking to the person on the other. Jake watched and listened in to make sure she got the information right. She nodded and turned back around to Jake. /He said he was expecting you. You can wait for him in the reading room,/ she gestured to a small salon with a fire place and book shelves. Jake found a comfortable chair where he could see out of both the window and into the front foyer to wait on the professor.

Within a few minutes the portly man came down and introduced himself to Jake and handed over his bags. "If you will give a moment, I will take care of my payment." Jake waited by the door, the professor's bag in one hand, the other on his small pistol inside his right jacket pocket.

Outside:

M watched from the rooftop across the street as his partner disappeared inside the doorway of a small hotel. His hearing alerted him when he heard two car doors slam shut. Looking to his right, he saw two figures leaving the white beamer he had mentioned before. He watched and moved quietly towards the two men as they started walking down his side of the street, holding weapons under their coats with their left hands. He could hear them talking but couldn't understand what they were saying. M cursed under his breath and made a mental to note to ask Caitlin to start him on learning Russian.

With absolute silence he eased over the ledge and braced himself between two buildings and waited for the two men to cross the street. As they did, he slid down quietly, waited for them to make their way down another block and ran across into an alleyway behind them. Pulling out his pistol, he shot one in the back, nothing more than a quiet 'thwip' as the bullet exited the handgun with the silencer.

The second man turned in time to see his partner fall to the ground. Quickly, he ran several feet down the sidewalk and jumped into a doorway of a closed business and waited to see who was there.

M stayed pressed against the stonework of the building, his right hand gripping tightly to his Beretta. Looking around, he knelt down and grabbed his victim by the arm and dragged him into the alley, out of sight.

The second man looked around the doorway and saw nothing more than his friend's feet as they disappeared behind the corner. Realizing the person behind his partner's death was occupied at the moment, he took a chance and bolted across the small cobblestone street, hiding under a poorly lit doorway. Not wanting to fall victim as well, he picked up a loose rock and threw it a window of a nearby and rather expensive car.

A shrill and obnoxious alarm went off as the window was shattered. Windows began lighting up and dogs began barking as the residents of the quiet area began to look outside and see what the commotion was about. "Shit!" M uttered as he saw the man run away and silhouettes appeared at windows wanting to see what was happening.

"Jake," he pressed to his headset. "I got one but the other ran off." He watched as the white beamer started up and moved away, turning down a corner. "Coast is clear though, second guy drove off." Within a few seconds, Jake and a very scared looking Professor Keisling walked over to the blue sedan and drove away. As they did, a white BMW fell in a distance behind them and M followed the beamer.

"Car's behind you Jake," he spoke into the headset as he ran across rooftops, jumping over alleyways. "You want me to take him out?"

"No," Jake answered as he turned his car around the corner and headed to his hotel. All the while the professor was slumped down in the seat, afraid to be seen. "I don't want to call attention to us. I'll have the professor get a room in his name and then we'll deal with this guy behind us."

At the sound of Jakes statement the professor looked up and protested. "Are you insane?!" he almost yelled at the sandy haired driver. "They will kill me for sure that way!" He started to push himself up in the seat and pounded on the dash. "You might as well have that freak shoot me now and save them the trouble!"

Jake slammed on the brakes and the professor slid forward, slamming into the dashboard. He sat up, his nose bleeding and a sharp pain resonating across his face.

"My nose!" he yelled. "I think you broke my nose!" Quickly, the professor pulled a tissue out of his pocket and clasped it to the broken bone, groaning as he did so.

"Sorry about that," Jake grinned as he gave the man a rough pat on the back. "Some cat just ran out in front me and I guess I hit the brakes to hard."

Keisling just eyed the agent, knowing full well it was a lie but, considering his life was in this man's hands at the moment, there was nothing more he could do at the time.


End file.
